Flattening appliance for disk records



Patented oci. so, 1945 FLATTENING APPLIANCE FOR DISK RECORDS Francis B. Downing, Kansas City, Mo.

Application May 18, 1944, Serial No. 536,217

3 Claims.

This invention relates to appliances and methods of flattening disk records of the type conventionally employed in phonographs or the like, and the primary aim is to provide equipment and steps in the manner of handling the same that will result in effectively, conveniently and quickly flattening disk records without injury thereto.

One of the important aims of the present invention is to provide a attening appliance for disk records that may be used by the householder, without the necessity of acquiring an objectionable amount of skill, which may be in the form of a unitary appliance or combined with other instruments in a cabinet of the console type which forms an attractive piece of furniture.

A yet further aim of the instant invention is the provision of a flattening appliance for disk records of the aforementioned character, that is effective in operation, inexpensive to maintain,

and is devoid of moving or other parts that might cause injury to the sound track of the record being treated.

This invention has for further aims to provide a disk record attening appliance that has means for holding the record in the operative position; an element for generating heat at a particular point below the axis of the record; planar plates for applying pressure to the record as the same is rendered pliable through the action of said heat; and parts for increasing the pressure upon the two planar plates after the record has been ilattened and during the time the same is allowed to cool.

A large number of minor objects of this invention will appear during the course of the following specication, referring to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a flattening appliance for disk records, made in accordance with the present invention; and

Fig. 2 is a vertical central sectional view through the appliance, taken on line II-II of Fig. 1, and looking in the direction of the arrow.

The problem with which most users of disk records are familiar, is the inability to maintain the records ilat and therefore, the failure of the automatic record playing equipment to handle said records when the same have become arched or otherwise distorted due to heat or other factors which render the same in an objectionable condition so far as a planar body is concerned.

The appliance embodying the preferred form of the invention is capable of flattening distorted records and comprises a case I0, having an open top and a vent opening I2, formed through one side wall thereof.

This case is provided with a circumscribing shoulder I4 around the open side and an upstanding flange I6 which cooperates with shoulder I4 in holding a pair of superposed plates of glass I8 and 20 respectively, between which the record 22 is conned. The area of the open side of case I0 is slightly greater than the diameter of record 22 to be treated, and when plate 2U rests upon shoulder IQ and plate I8 is in the position shown in Fig. 2, the record will have applied to much of its body a force due to the action of gravity upon plate I8.

Shoulder IS precludes relative displacement of plates I8 and 20 but when the upper plate I8 is to be lifted from operative position, a portion of the edge thereof may be engaged by the operator because notches 24 formed in opposed portions of flange I6 are provided for that purpose.

A source of heat should be generated on a given point within case I0, which is below the axis of record 22. To this end, it has been found that an electric lamp 26 is satisfactory when mounted within case II), through the medium of a bracket or analogous means 28. Lamp 26 is connected to any suitable source of current through conductors 30 and a switch 32.

Resilient clamps 34 pvotally mounted as at 36 to case I0 through the medium of ears or the like 38, are capable of applying additional force to upper plate i8 when the time for such action arrives. These clamps are conveniently swung to and from the operative position shown in the drawing, and will not affect the action of plates I8 and 20 upon record 22 when heat is being applied to said record during the first step in the method of flattening.

- The positioning of heat source 26 at the center and below record 22, insures that lower plate 20 ill gradually diffuse and apply the heat to record 22 from its center toward the periphery thereof. When the record is first placed upon lower plate 29, the upper plate I8 will not be heavy enough to crack or break the record but will be of suiicient weight as to gently urge the record 22 toward a fiat condition as the same becomes pliable due to the application of heat.

Heat is applied evenly from the center of the record because lower plate 20 is of glass and will not allow the passage of the heat to an unsatisfactory extent until diiusing occurs.

After the record has been flattened, clamps 34 are swung to place land the lamp 25 extinguished. As the record cools, therefore, a relatively great amount of force is holding the same between plates I8 and 20 and after the temperature of the plates and said record has returned to normal, the record may be removed for use.

A 40 watt lamp pl'aceclli'nsuch relation to record' 22, as illustrated in Fig; 2', has been found satisfactory where distorted records are such as to require substantially one hour for flattening.

After this period of time has elapsed and' theclamps 34 are applied, the record will cool in a short while, all in accordance with the room temperature.

It is obvious that an appliance.havingl physical characteristics different from those illustrated and described, might be made without departing from the spi-rit cf the invention and scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as'new and' desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A flattening appliance for disk records of the character described comprising a case having an open side; a pair of planar plates for confining the record therebetween, closing the open side of the case; means for generating heat at a given point within the case below the axis of the record when the same is in place for treatment between the plates; and parts for increasing the pressure applied to the record.

2. A attening appliance for disk records of the character described, comprising a case having an open side; a shoulder around the open side of the case.; aziiange coextensilve with the shoulder; a pair cfplanar plates off glass' resting upon the shoulder and maintained against displacement bythe said flange; means for generating heat at a: given. point within the case; and parts for applying pressure to the plates to force the same together.

3. The method of flattening disk ,records of the character described, which consists in conning the record between two planar plates of glass rdisposed horizontally and supported for free movement toward. and from each other applying heat' to the lowermost plate at the axis. of the record until therecord' has become su'iciently pliable to assumev a flat condition; stopping the supplyv of heat;` and. applyingv additional pressure to the plateswhilel the record cools.

FRANCIS B'. DOWNING. 

